Are You Smarter Than a Chipmunk?

Alvin, Simon, Theodore, you may be cute in the movies, but you are not cute in the garden.

Last year I had great plans for our little vegetable garden. Chloe and I planted lots of extra tomato plants and the plan was to donate the tomatoes we grew to the local food pantry. It appeared to work until the arrival of small rodents in the garden. Holes everywhere. Dirt displaced and root systems destroyed. The chipmunks destroyed our vegetable patch. What they didn't destroy below, they would sample above. I was so upset.

So, this year, I am waging war on the chipmunks, taking a preventative measure instead of the more fatal measure the gardener at my local nursery recommended. I don't know if my option will work, but it's the only option I am comfortable with.

It involves chicken/hardware wire and nails. Oh, and lots of cuts on my arms from laying it down. I am fairly confident that IF they REALLY wanted to, then the chipmunks could get underneath it and burrow. Not my best work, but I had a three year old assistant (that's the story I am sticking to anyway).

Oliver really helped in the garden!! He would alternate between the rake and the aerator (which he couldn't really turn so well) but he gave it a shot. We did have a falling out about him wanting to use the wire cutters so he decided it was time to play).

I took the garden down a notch this year. Just back to basics. If we have excess then we will donate it. I planted 3 different varieties of tomatoes, one zuchinni, one yellow squash, some peppers, a cucumber and the obligatory cantaloupe for Chloe (which did well last year until the chipmunks decided to take a sampling from each one).

The finished product. I kind of felt like I was putting up razor wire in a demilitarized zone.

Lets hope this works!!!